Councils that use spy cameras to enforce parking rules are making nearly nine
times more in motorists’ fines than authorities which do not use them.

Councils that use spy cameras to enforce parking rules are making nearly nine times more in motorists’ fines than authorities which do not use them.

Official figures show that councils which are using CCTV to enforce parking rules made £49.35 per household last year.

This compares to just £5.69 per household in councils which do not have them. The figures come ahead of a consultation on a ban to stop councils using cameras to snap people parking illegally, which closes next week.

Government figures show a quarter of councils in England – 70 out of 288 – currently use CCTV cameras to enforce parking rules.

This often means that drivers who unwittingly park in a loading bay can receive a fine through the post weeks later.

Analysis of the figures show that the average fine per dwelling was £49.35 in areas which have CCTV, against £5.69 in those which do not.

Of the top 30 local authorities ranked by how much they raise in parking fines per household, 27 councils used CCTV cameras to enforce the rules.

The top ranked council was City of London – which made £672 per dwelling in 2012/13 followed by Hammersmith & Fulham (£215) and Westminster (£200).

Brighton and Hove – which also enforces parking rules using CCTV cameras - was the highest ranked authority not in London, pulling in £39 per household.

Councils are supposed to charge motorists for parking purely as a means of lowering congestion, and are officially barred from doing so to generate extra income.

Ministers are desperate to stop the use of the cameras, and launched a consultation to outlaw them last summer. The deadline for responses is next week.

Brandon Lewis, Local Government Minister, told The Telegraph: "Encouraged by the Labour Government, parking fines have become an unjust form of arbitrary taxation, corrupting Britain’s justice system and fleecing innocent drivers.

“Using fines to generate revenue is an affront to fundamental constitutional principles and civil liberties in Britain, contrary to the long-standing principles of Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. This Government is taking action to rein in the town hall parking bullies.”

Parking fees and fines generated record profits for councils in England last year, according to figures that will feed concerns that the charges are being used to plug holes in local authority finances.

In the 2012/13 financial year, councils received £594 million from on and off-street parking, according to annual returns — a five per cent increase on the previous year.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "These figures show the unblinking eye of the camera misses nothing. But the issue is not the technology, rather how it is used.

"Councils always claim their wardens apply discretion and give drivers leeway for honest mistakes. Can local authorities show these digital spies also make such allowances?"

Councils tried to justify their use of the cameras. Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Economy and Transport Board, said: “CCTV cameras cars account for just 2 per cent of total council parking income.

“They are keeping children from being hurt or killed on the way to school and play an important role in improving safety around dangerous junctions, monitoring traffic flow and keeping cars moving.

“Parking fines are not used by councils as a way to raise money but are essential for keeping roads clear and motorists, pedestrians and cyclists safe.

“The reality is that the average motorist is paying 30 times more to Whitehall in charges and taxation each year than they do to their town hall through parking.”

Other proposals in the parking consultation include increasing the waiting period allowed for motorists before a fine is issued from five minutes to 15 minutes.

Stripping councils of their right to collect parking fines by using bailiffs. The plans have been seen as a boost for the Telegraph’s Reinvent the High Street to put the heart back in the country’s traditional high streets.

The most recent statistics suggest that nine million parking fines are issued every year - representing one fine for every two cars on the country’s roads.